America’s best idea on “uncertain path”

Click on the book cover to read more about Uncertain Path and William C Tweed.

The “national park idea as we know it, a veritable covenant between national park managers and the American public, is collapsing and will need to be redrawn,” says William C Tweed in his new book “Uncertain Path.”

While other historians might not refer to their writing as a “walking meditation,” other historians probably didn’t spend three decades as a ranger. Tweed only retired as Chief Park Naturalist at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in 2006.

On Thursday November 11th Tweed will be discussing the future of America’s best idea at the Solvang Public Library, 1745 Mission Drive, Solvang, California. Time: 7.30pm. Sponsor: The Santa Ynez Natural History Society.

Take a hike

Baker, Nevada, near the Great Basin National Park. Photo: Abby Johnson / Facebook

President Barack Obama yesterday instructed the Interior and Agriculture secretaries, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the chair of the Council on Environmental Quality to study how best to reconnect us with the Great Outdoors. Click here to read about it, then pack a bag so it’s not all foreigners blissing out in our National Parks.

Via the Great Basin Water Network.

The National Parks: America’s Best Idea

Death Valley National Park. Source: National Park Service

The first of Ken Burns’ six part series, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, premieres on PBS Sunday at 8pm Eastern and Pacific time.

Bill Maher remarked not long ago on his HBO show Real Time something to the effect that most of the people seen in National Parks were foreigners. He may have said Europeans. Either way, there’s some truth to that and it attests to the good taste of those foreigners. If you haven’t been to your nearest national park, go. Foreigners will tell you what a great country you have.

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